A sweet and sentimental Christmas? Not at the Gamm Theater. Okay, it's not dark and brooding at least, but it IS irreverent. In the production of "The Santaland Diaries", we have fun experiencing the angst of a wannabe soap opera star as he struggles through December as a Macy's Christmas elf. Then in "Seasons Greetings" we are treated to the narration of the annual Christmas newsletter from the Dunbar family who are pressing on despite their "recent tragedy".

Both monologues come from stories written by David Sedaris and were adapted by Joe Mantello for the stage. Sedaris actually lived "Santaland Diaries", working odd jobs in Raleigh, Chicago, and New York City for years before gaining recognition with his radio essay "The SantaLand Diaries", describing his experiences working as an elf at Macy's department store during Christmas time in New York. The piece aired in 1992 on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition and was also broadcast in the UK on Radio 4 in 1996. In 2001, he was named "Humorist of the Year" by Time magazine and he received the Thurber Prize for American Humor.

In "The Santaland Diaries", a young Sedaris arrives in New York with dreams of being on "One Life to Live" and instead lands a part-time job as a Macy’s Christmas elf named Crumpet. The story follows a day-to-day retelling of his humiliating interview to elf indoctrination to scrapes with miscast Santas and obnoxious customers. And "The Santaland diaries" had me laughing so hard I could hardly breathe, particularly when "Crumpet" (renamed by then to "Blisters") describes exactly what Santa will do if she isn't a good girl.

We would hope that "Seasons Greetings" is not autobiographical -- the story as told by the controlling housewife Jocelyn Dunbar dances around a tragedy that goes unnamed through most of Jocelyn's monologue. As she prepares for the holiday with a we'll-have-a-merry-Christmas-even-if-it-kills-us attitude, we learn about her family. Her husband, a daughter in rehab, a tattooed son-in-law who abandoned her and her crack baby that Jocelyn is left to raise, a quiet artsy son who spends all of his time alone carving gnomes out of Iris Spring soap, an elder son who carries the burden of Jocelyn's high expectations with him to college, and the newest addition to the family, her husband’s illegitimate, gold-digging, Vietnamese daughter whose vocabulary is limited to "Daddy" "Five Dollar" and "Shiny".

The Gamm describes "Seasons Greetings" as twisted, tragic and hilarious", and I have to agree, especially when Kim performs the portions where Jocelyn shows how completely out-of-touch from reality she is.

Interestingly, neither play came with stage direction, so the actors and directors had to dream up their deliveries. Gamm Artistic Associate Chris Byrnes directed Gamm regular Steve Kidd in The SantaLand Diaries. In Season’s Greetings, Wendy Overly directs fellow Gamm Artistic Associate Casey Seymour Kim in the role of Jocelyn Dunbar. Casey Seymour Kim is also a member of the local acting group "Improv Jones".

Set & Costume Design was by David T. Howard, Lighting Design by Noah Beauregard and Stage Management by Stef Work. Also, Technical Direction, Andrew Morissette; Assistant Stage Manager, Katie Hughes; Dramaturge, Jennifer Madden.

The plays run through December 24 at The Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, RI. Tickets $19-$31. Discounts for subscribers, groups of 10 or more, seniors and students. For single ticket sales, call 401-723-4266. Or purchase tickets at www.arttixri.com. More information at www.gammtheatre.org.

About the author, Paul Pence: Not a life-long Rhode Islander, Paul got to Rhode Island as fast as he could. He has 25 years of writing experience and numerous publication credits including the Providence Journal, the East Greenwich Magazine, Weissmann Travel Reports, Travel Lady Magazine, Jackhammer, Your Skin and Sun, TravelNotes, TexWoman, and many others.